About the Role
At NOPE, we recognize a critical shift in the digital landscape: people are increasingly turning to AI for companionship, coaching, and emotional support. While these systems offer immense potential, they often lack the safety layers necessary to prevent dependency or identify users in crisis. We are a small, mission-driven team building open-source classifiers and custom tooling to ensure that safety isn't a privilege reserved for big tech. We are seeking a Head of Public Understanding to serve as our public voice, bridging the gap between complex AI research and the people, policymakers, and builders who need to understand the real-world impact of these systems.
Key Responsibilities- Establish and lead NOPE’s presence across major social channels (X, Bluesky, Substack, LinkedIn) to drive high-level discourse on AI safety and relational ethics.
- Translate technical research, data trackers, and internal findings into compelling, accessible narratives that provoke debate and drive public awareness.
- Represent the organization as a thought leader at industry webinars, conferences, and local events to advocate for safer human-AI interactions.
- Build and nurture a community of researchers, journalists, and developers dedicated to making AI interactions safer and more transparent.
- Work asynchronously with our core team to experiment with content formats and distribution strategies that make the invisible risks of AI legible to a broad audience.
- Proven track record as a prolific writer and thought leader with an existing following in the AI safety, tech policy, or ethical tech space.
- Deep understanding of LLM architecture, including an awareness of where these systems fail and how modern tech companies operate internally.
- Ability to articulate complex socio-technical problems in a human, approachable voice without relying on AI-generated scripts or jargon.
- Familiarity with the global regulatory landscape and how policy changes impact the development and deployment of AI systems.
- Strong public speaking skills and the confidence to advocate for a nuanced, "healthily cynical" perspective on AI in professional forums.
- Bonus: Background in trust and safety, healthcare, law, or engineering, particularly experience moving from technical building to high-level advocacy.
- Flexible, fully remote, and largely asynchronous work environment tailored to your schedule.
- Opportunity to shape the foundational narrative of an emerging field at the intersection of AI and human psychology.
- Highly competitive hourly rate of ~$75 USD per hour for the initial contract period.
- Pathway to a long-term leadership role and increased hours as the organization scales its impact.
- Direct contribution to open-source safety tools that provide immediate protection for users globally.
This is initially a part-time contracting role requiring approximately 10 hours per week for an initial 6-week engagement. We are looking for someone who believes that while AI relationships are here to stay, they must be monitored, evidenced, and made safe for everyone.